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K Srikkanth Slams Vice-Captain Tilak Varma Over Poor Form: This was the historic date when Team India made history by winning the 2026 T20 World Cup title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, since that championship victory, the Indian team's performance graph has been on a steady decline. Since becoming world champions, India has not managed to win a single T20 match. First came a humiliating defeat against Ireland, and now, in the ongoing T20 series against England, Team India is trailing 2-0. The Indian batting lineup has proven to be a complete failure against England.
Tilak Varma's Form Crisis
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Vice-captain Tilak Varma is the most prominent name associated with this poor batting display. Tilak has been consistently struggling to score runs. His inability to score has become a major issue for Team India in the middle order. Despite receiving repeated opportunities, Tilak's poor run continues, prompting several former legends to raise questions.
Also Read: Will Babar Azam Return as T20 Captain After Test Return?
Srikkanth Criticizes Tilak Varma
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Former Indian captain and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has sharply criticized Tilak Varma for this poor performance. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth raised serious questions regarding Tilak's technique.
Srikkanth said, "He is already the team's vice-captain, and it seems the management might soon make him the captain as well. But the reality is that Tilak Varma himself appears intimidated by fast bowling and bounce. He looks completely helpless at the crease. If it were up to me, I would prefer playing Sanju Samson in the playing XI instead of Tilak."
Team Management Under Fire
Srikkanth did not just target Tilak Varma; he also heavily criticized the Indian team management and their strategies. It is worth noting that Shreyas Iyer was handed the team's captaincy, replacing T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav, while Tilak was entrusted with the role of vice-captain.
Questioning the management's strategy, Srikkanth said, "You have made Tilak Varma the team's main batsman and vice-captain, yet you are sending Axar Patel to bat ahead of him to shield him from fast bowling. This clearly shows that the management wants to protect Tilak from short-pitched deliveries, as they know this is his biggest weakness. I have been consistently saying that he should be dropped from the team, but the management is unwilling to remove him."
Sanju Samson to Replace Tilak?
After falling behind 2-0 in the series against England, the Indian team management is under immense pressure to make changes. With veterans like Srikkanth advocating for Sanju Samson, it will be interesting to see whether Tilak Varma is dropped in favor of Samson for the upcoming matches or if the management retains its faith in the vice-captain.
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